Even Stones Can Cry
by Aleriaxx
Summary: "I am not a hero. I am a coward. A Coward and a Slytherin."
1. Chapter 1

"_I am not a hero. I am a Slytherin. A cowardly, obedient, good-girl Slytherin.'_

Skyler was bored. She propped her chin up on her fist and glared at the wall above Leah's head, listening to Leah talk to her friends in case her name was mentioned. Very unlikely, considering that if they had not looked so alike, Leah would never acknowledge her as a sister.

"Can we meet here same time next Monday?" Leah asked her friends, tapping the empty bottles with her wand and making them disappear.

"Sure, Lae." _Lae? _Skye wondered with a grimace.

"Bye!" Leah's friends shuffled and filed out of the Leaky Cauldron while Leah lagged behind.

"Ugh. Skye, you can be _so _annoying." she growled through gritted teeth when everyone had left.

"What did I do?" Skye finished her butterbeer and then chucked it into a nearby trash can.

"Nothing. That's the problem. You act like such a dork."

"Stop dragging me around to meet your bubbleheaded friends," Skye snapped. The long hour spent in a crowded and stuffy room was making her feel uncomfortable. She needed out. Skye made for the door, Leah trailing along.

"That was the first time. Stop acting like a little kid," she whined.

Skye sucked in the fresh air and sighed.

"C'mon. Don't want to be late, do you?" The crowd outside was thinning as darkness fell. The two sisters put on their cloaks-one grey and one blue-before running to where a house elf stood and vanishing with a crack.

"Oh shit oh shit oh shit," Leah hissed under her breath as they appeared at the doors of the manor. "Shit, shit, we're late. We are so dead." The clock set into the stone entrance read 9:10. Ten minutes late. Enough to be punished for. "Shit, shit," Leah repeated, her voice rising to a moan. Skye usually enjoyed it when her twin sister's cool aura fell away, but this time she was just as nervous. "Maybe they're asleep," Leah suggested hopefully, and grabbed Skye's hand to drag her into the house. They closed the doors behind them as quietly as they could. The house, large and spare, was dark except for a few candles along the walls. They creeped under the candlelight, up the marble stairs, and down the hallway. Their rooms were dark, but light shone from the doorway of the master bedroom. Leah paled, and Skye felt herself do the same.

"Come," came the voice of their father, cold and elegant. Despairing, they walked into their parent's bedroom. Gabriel Lennington sat in his armchair, grey eyes staring distatefully at his daughters. From the bathroom, their mother watched. "Late." their father spat. "Ten minutes exactly." Leah remained silent, her eyes wide with fear. "Skyler. I would expect that you would keep your blood-traitor sister in check." She bit her lip to keep in her anger.

"Yes, father."

"This will not happen again, will it?"

"No, father."

"Good young ladies do not go out after dark. You will not bring dishonor to our proud name." Skye hesitated. She blinked a few times.

"N-no, father." Leah's eyes were boring into her, full of disbelief. _How could you? How could you just agree with him?_ her eyes screamed. Skyler ignored the silent reproach.

"Good, good. I think ten seconds will do-for ten minutes, don't you think?" Skyler closed her eyes and stiffened up, waiting for the curse. "Very well, then-_Crucio!" _She fell flat on her face, grinding her teeth together and curling up into a ball. Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one- the pain ended. Shakily, she got back to her feet.

Years of punishment had taught her that surrendering immediately, lying prostrate made the pain more bearable. Leah had either not learned this or didn't bother to do so-she always fought the curse. But Skye always crouched down. Because she was a coward. She no longer screamed when it happened, but that didn't make the pain any better than the first time.

"Aleah," her father commanded next. "You will not come late again." Leah didn't even hesitate.

"Eleven minutes past nine isn't very late, father," she drawled. Only Skye sensed the fear in her eyes, the tremble in her voice. For their father, all he could see was that she was defying him. And that was not allowed.

"Come here!" he snarled, and Leah came. He studied her. "Filthy blood traitor," he snapped. "I will not have our well-bred family name made rotten by a Gryffindor worm. Kneel." Leah stood. "I said, _kneel!" _he raised his wand-Leah's face slammed into the marble floor so hard her nose cracked. She tried to scramble back to her feet, face bloodied- "_Crucio!" _she collapsed again, writhing and trying to get back to her feet. Finally giving up, she screamed long and loud. Skyler fell to her knees and clasped her hands over her ears.

"Father!" she shouted. "Father, please-she-she-Leah- drank a lot of mead. It must be the mead. Please, she didn't mean to." He casually lowered his wand, and Leah fell limp. Skyler crawled forward weakly, grabbed her and helped her out of the room. "It won't happen again, father," she called numbly as she left.

Skye helped Leah into bed, then wet a few paper towels and dabbed at her blood-caked face.

"Thank you," Leah croaked, but Skye couldn't reply. There was a burning up in her throat, and she feared that if she talked, flames would leap from her mouth. Rage at her father, at her mother who never did anything, and at Leah. Since she couldn't take out her anger on her parents, there was only her sister. Leah shakily sat up on the bed. "Thank you," she repeated. "I-I-" Skye whirled around. Before she could think about what she was doing, her hand smacked against Leah's cheek. The two of them stared at each other, equal expressions of shock and anger on their identical faces.

"You better stop it," Skye snarled in a trembling voice. "_Stop it. _Do you have a death-wish? What are you thinking of? He-He'll kill you!" Leah's gratitude quickly changed into anger.

"I'm a Gryffindor," she began hotly, but Skye wouldn't hear it.

"Gryffindors are idiots who want to get themselves killed," she replied, but there was no feeling behind her words. They were just what she was supposed to say, what her father wanted her to say. She turned to look out the window, unable to face her sister.

"Slytherins are slimy cowards who don't care about anyone but themselves!" Leah said, her voice rising. That was it. Skyler whipped her wand from her pocket and turned. Leah's wand was already pointed. They stared at each other, blue eyes and black hair, porcelain skin. White birch wands, one with peacock feathers and unicorn hair, one with wolf fang and unicorn horn. Identical hatred on their faces.

"If I'm a slimy coward," Skye said, trying to conceal the anger radiating from her voice, "why do I come up with excuses whenever you get your big arse in trouble with Father?"

"Because you don't want me to disgrace you," Leah said triumphantly. "You want to be Daddy's girl."

"Say that again, I dare you. You know I'm better at magic than you are," Skye threatened softly. But she didn't wait for Leah's reply. Skye stuck her wand back into her pocket and strode out of the room. The curse had been on the tip of her tongue. But she hadn't said it. Because if she did, she'd be no better than her father.

In the middle of the night, Skye woke to a sticky puffiness on her face and touched her cheek, feeling the wetness. Had she been crying? She climbed out of bed to gaze out the window at the darkness above. She remembered back when they had been soulmates, Leah and her. They shared a bedroom, back then. When they were little, they would lie in bed together, dark hair mingling on the pillow, whispering about little dreams and fancies. They brushed each other's hair in the candlelight, and would dress in their identical night gowns, looking like little china dolls with their wide blue eyes and black hair and pale skin. Even back then, Skye's eyes had hinted at a stormy grey, while Leah's were clear and sparkling. Her hair had been-and still was- a tangle of inky darkness, while Leah's was ripples of midnight black. If you looked at them back then, Skye would have seemed like the rebellious one.

Hogwarts started. Skye begged the hat to sort her into Slytherin, afraid of what her father would do if she went anywhere else. When she got picked, she had been so happy-it meant no punishments. She had eagerly waited for Leah to join her, but when Leah went up, the hat called out Gryffindor. That ended everything.

'Slimy coward', Leah had said. Skye closed her eyes and felt the night sway around her. She felt the hatred and rage that had overcome her earlier, but stronger. And this time, she knew just who she hated-herself.

**Please give me a favor and read a few more chapters before deciding that this sucked. I'll appreciate all forms of criticism! Review, please! I haven't had a lot of luck in the past. You'll find out stuff later on, so just keep reading-this chapter is just like a taste of Skye's life. Just keep reading, please!**


	2. Chapter 2

The days began to blur into each other. Skye spent most of her time lying around and reading books, faking a disinterest in anything Leah did. However, she often sat by the window and saw her sister sneak out of the gates and apparate with a house elf, no doubt to meet her friends in Diagon Alley. Skye didn't want to know whether or not their father punished Leah, and if he did, she certainly didn't want to hear Leah scream. That would make her rush out to help. But so far, there had been so screams.

_She doesn't need me to take care of her, _Skye reminded herself grimly. If Leah wanted to get herself killed, so be it. She always found herself looking out the window for Leah's returns, though.

One of those days, she glanced outside and saw Leah dashing through the gardens to reach the gates. It was the worst time-she heard her father's footsteps going down the stairs, no doubt to his usual spot on the bench to read the _Daily Prophet_ and smoke his pipe. Not even thinking, Skye grabbed her cat from his wicker basket. The animal yawned and mewed in sleepy irritation.

"Sorry, Shadow," she muttered, and then rushed out of her room and down the stairs. Just below was her father, walking toward the door. Skye held the cat above the stair rails. It wouldn't be a very far drop. She let go.

With an angry yowl, Shadow landed on the man's head and he yelled in surprise. The cat hissed and spat, clawing for a grip on his scalp as he dropped his newspaper and shook his hair, sending Shadow flying. He landed on his feet and darted away, disheveled but unhurt. Skye's father, however, was fuming. His usually smoothened down hair was missing huge clumps, and his elegant suit was shredded and covered in cat fur. Skye bit back a giggle at the sight of her normally cold and unreachable father. He heard, and looked up. Her laugh died. His face was livid.

"Get _down." _he snarled, angrier than Skye had ever seen him, except perhaps when Leah had been sorted into Gryffindor. She stumbled down the stairs on weak knees. "What is the meaning of this? What is that beast doing in my house?"

"I'm very sorry, father. I was unable to control my cat. Did he injure you very badly?" Her father must have sniffed out some humor in her voice, because his eyes narrowed.

"Oh, is this funny to you?" he growled and drew his wand. "Let's see if this is funny, as well. _Crucio!" _Skye struggled for a few seconds, then crumpled to her knees. Everywhere-burning pain like hot knives pressed into her skin. The pain stopped. She remained curled up. Her father's foot met her ribs and she groaned. "Get up, girl," he spat. "I said, up. It was only five seconds." he kicked her again and this time, Skye slowly got to her feet. Everything hurt. "If you are 'unable to control your cat' again, I will see to it that you suffer more. Go to your room." His previous course forgotten, her father picked up his newspaper and pipe, then went to get his suit cleaned. Skye ran for the nearest window. Leah had left. She felt herself exhale.

Now that she thought about it, distracting him with a discussion about becoming a prefect would have produced the same amount of time, and less painful results. How stupid of her.

But, she had to admit, it _had _been rather fun.

**Two months later, first day back to Hogwarts. **

Skye had been very eager about returning to Hogwarts-no more long, boring hours spent lounging about, no more angry father. It was funny how quickly she changed her mind, partly because of the dementor attack and partly because the moment she sat down at the Slytherin Table, she felt several pairs of eyes latch down on her.

Well, this was miserable.

Skye took care of that problem by pressing her face into her arms and pretending to be tired. Or asleep. Or dead-yes, dead would be good. There were noises of clinking forks around her, so she looked up. The plates had filled magically, and to keep from seeming awkward, she shoveled a few baked potatoes and a lump of meatloaf onto her plate. Skye wasn't hungry, not after eating heaps of Cauldron Cakes with Lynn on the train, and then almost throwing them up when the dementors came. She closed her eyes at the thought. Best not to remember it.

Lynn looked very content at the Ravenclaw table, Skye thought to herself. She was being quiet-but Lynn always was, and at least she had friends to listen to. And at the Gryffindor table, Leah-

Skye felt a chill rack down her spine. What in the world was Leah doing with _Harry Potter? _

She frantically skimmed her eyes down the seats. There was Weasley, Granger, Longbottom, Weasley again, then Leah and Potter, _right next to each other. _Their hands were below the table, but-_were they holding hands? _Skye didn't even want to know. She squeezed her eyes shut again-better that way, unable to see anything she didn't want to. But under her eyelids she saw Leah writhing in agony, screaming as curses blasted her from every direction, those eyes, cold and merciless...

There were murmurs, and Skye's eyes flew open-she was standing upright, as though prepared to march to the Gryffindor Table and punch some sense into her addle-brained sister. For a moment, the thought was delicious, but then she flushed and sat back down to take a swig of pumpkin juice. Over the rim of her goblet, she watched Leah laugh beautifully and lean slightly into Potter's shoulder. Her eyes were sparkling, alive, vivacious.

Sometimes it seemed like Leah wanted to get herself killed. Other times she seemed more alive than Skye was.

**Review please, I swear it will get better. Yes, Leah and Harry will...have some stuff later on, not big stuff, just like a little crush or something, you know? Something to get Skye mad. Please review. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, only Skye and Leah. And Lynn. -.-**

Skye kept a close eye on Leah during Dumbledore's speech, and was rather horrified to find Leah giggling-actually _giggling-_and leaning very close to Harry. Under the pretense of fetching her dropped fork, she leaned down and peered under the tables.

Their legs were touching, and her fingers were laced with his. Skye lifted her head, insides churning. Was it anger, jealousy or baked potatoes? She closed her eyes and saw her father advancing, not with his wand, but with words-

"_You are my favorite daughter," _he said. "_I am expecting an owl every week, detailing the...'activities' that your sister may partake in._"

He had told her so as she boarded the train, and Skye had left with a weak 'yes, father', trying to feel proud that she was his favorite but only succeeding in an odd sort of numbness. He probably expected details on the family trees of her friends, but _Harry Potter? _

Dumbledore finished talking and bid them to bed. Skye felt suddenly weary, probably due to the idea of marching up to Leah and demanding that she get pureblood friends at once.

It had to be done.

She elbowed her way between the chattering students. Lynn stared curiously when she shoved past, but Skye gave her a quick 'later' and kept going. Leah was laughing with Harry as they walked back to their common room, no doubt for a nice, long, relaxing night's sleep, one that Skye would not get. She would have her usual nightmares.

"Leah!" She reached out and grabbed her sister's shoulder, realizing too late that she had no idea what to say. Leah turned. So did Harry. Time stopped.

She stood there, suddenly awkward, an elephant in the middle of the thinning crowd. Finally, Leah sighed, tossed her hair and rolled her eyes.

"What do you _want, _Skye?" She asked, as though speaking to an attention-seeking child. Skye felt her face redden-Leah had a special knack of making people feel stupid in her own shining glory.

"I want to talk," she said tightly. "Come _on._" she took her by the wrist and pulled away. Leah gave another sigh, just as patronizing as the first, and called to Harry-

"Just wait here a moment, 'kay?"

"No," Skye corrected. "Go away, Potter." The poor guy stood awkwardly for a moment, took a step away, and then confusedly came back again. Skye dragged her sister behind a suit of armor.

"What the hell are you thinking?!" she hissed, so loudly that Harry jumped behind them and then quickly made up his mind and strode off.

"What?" Leah examined her perfect nails.

"You were holding hands."

"Nuh-uh."

"Do you know what Father's going to do to you? If he finds out-"

"If, huh?"

"What do you mean?" Skye was confused. Leah let out a short, harsh little laugh.

"Of course he's going to find out," she muttered.

"What do you mean? He's not here-"

"But his trusty little spy promised to tell daddy _all _of the bad girl's secrets," she said angrily. "Daddy's girl is going to watch the bad girl very closely and make sure she doesn't put a toe out of line." Skye opened her mouth. Closed it. When had it gotten so quiet? The hall was empty. _Daddy's girl. _

"Shut up," she said, trembling. "Shut up or I'll make you."

"You think I didn't hear you? Father asked you to watch me, and you just said 'yes father'"-she made her voice high pitched. "'Yes, father, of course we'll do as you say' 'No, father, we won't do it again' 'Yes, father, we love you so much-"

"I said, _shut up!_" Skye's hand made a reflex to her wand, but then she quickly drew back. Leah, however, had seen.

"Daddy's girl gonna kill me?" she asked softly. "Go ahead and do it. Daddy's substitute, are you? Don't want to ruin your perfect record. You're his favorite daughter-does it make you proud? Should I make you a badge, that says-"

"SHUT UP!" Skye screamed. Leah shoved her-she fell into the armor and it fell with a loud ringing crash. They stared at each other, wide eyed, suddenly no more than two very alarmed siblings.

There was a faint mew near Leah's feet. It was Ms. Norris.

"Run!" Leah hissed, and they almost tripped over each other in their haste to get away.

**Thanks for the reviews! Keep reviewing, please. They help me keep writing. :) This was short and not very meaningful, sorry, I felt like writing something weird. **


	4. Chapter 4

Skye woke, gasping loudly for breath. Daphne stirred next to her.

"Shuddup," she muttered.

"Sorry," Skye panted, and drew the curtains around her bed as quietly as she could before slipping back under the covers. Her shirt was drenched in sweat, but she was shivering.

Within a few minutes, she had returned to a fitful sleep.

The other Slytherins treated her with a mixture of awe and disgust. Lennington was one of the greatest pureblood families, and had been extremely powerful before Voldemort's fall, and still was. Gabriel was known for his work in the Ministry of Magic. It seemed that her peers were disappointed that she was not an ideal role model of a good pureblood Slytherin-instead, they found her quite boring.

Skye woke to a hushed chatter from behind the drapes, followed by quiet giggling.

"Shh! She might wake up and hear you."

"Probably wouldn't understand what we're saying. I reckon she's a little batty." There was another giggle, quickly shushed.

"Astoria, don't be mean!"

"Never talks...acts like she's _so _above us..."

"I know...so annoying..."

"You think she's slow-witted?"

"Maybe just a bit weird in the head."

"Shh..."

"Just because of her rich Daddy..." Skye couldn't stand it anymore. She untangled her legs from the blankets and threw the curtains aside, staring into the stunned faces of the girls. One of them fell off her bed in surprise.

"Mornin'," she said cheerfully, satisfied by their guilty looks. "I should go down to breakfast. I'm really hungry." she tugged on her socks as she spoke. "Anyone coming? No? Sit and talk, then. Good-bye." Skye slammed the door behind her. There was a silence, and then the chatter resumed. She sighed.

She wasn't that hungry, so she wandered around the Ravenclaw dormitory, pretending to be nonchalant even though she was all stiff inside. Skye wanted to see Leah, maybe say a casual 'hi, i just thought I'd say sorry for last night' or something.

The doors opened just then, and Leah walked out, humming slightly to herself. Unlike usual, she wasn't surrounded by a flock of friends and admirers. Her makeup was perfect, her hair gleaming, clothes perfect and unwrinkled. Her eyes narrowed when she saw Skye, but she made no other sign that she saw her sister.

"Hey," Skye said quickly. "I was just thinking, about last ni-" Leah nudged past and walked away. Her high heels clicked sharply with each step.

Skye felt as though each step was grinding into her chest, it hurt so much.

She fell asleep during class.

"Ms. Lennington!" a sharp voice. Skye jerked up. Professor McGonagall pursed her lips.

"Would you be so kind as to answer my question?" she snapped. Skye racked her head. Something about matches and needles. What had she asked? Matches and needles...

"Needle?" she guessed dumbly. Someone snickered, but the rest stared in horrified amusement as Professor McGonagall smiled grimly.

Whoa, Skye thought. She actually smiled.

"No, Ms. Lennington, the answer is not 'needle'. The answer is, 'Swish and flick.' I asked for the correct wand movement to turn a match into a needle." Skye opened her mouth. Closed it.

"Oh," she said finally, then cursed her sluggish brain. Another snicker.

"Oh is right. Five points from Slytherin. Now..." Skye drowned her voice out again, feeling miserable. Her drowsiness drowned out the misery, however, and soon she was snoring again.

_Dear Father,_

_School is very good. Leah is doing very well but I am worried that she spends too much time with Gryffi_

That would not do, she thought, biting her nails on her other hand as she scratched it out with her quill.

_Dear Father,_

_School is very good. Leah is doing very well but I am worried that she spends too much time with Harry Potter._

That was even worse. If her father heard of this he would come raging into the school, drag Leah out and kill her, right there and there. When he was in one of his angry fits, he would do anything. Crucio his own children. Kill Leah, if he felt like it. Skye shuddered. Yes, it would be best to not mention him for the time being.

_Dear Father, _

_School is very good. Leah is doing very well but I am sometimes worried that she spends too much time with questionable people._

There, that was quite nice and vague. 'Questionable' was a very vague word. Skye felt pleasantly satisfied, but then crumpled up the paper and flung it into the flames. No, it was still not right.

_Dear Father, School is very good. Leah is doing very well but I sometimes think she entertains the wrong company. _

'Entertains the wrong company'? Who was she, an old-fashioned dork?

_Dear Father, School is very good. Leah is doing very well but I think she'd do better with some nice Slytherin friends. _

She flung the quill in the corner with the rest of her failed asttempts, and then buried her face angrily into her hands.

Gabriel was in his study when the tawny school owl tapped on his window. He opened it and let the bird in, untying the scroll from it's legs and unrolling it.

_Dear Father, _

_School is very good. Leah is doing well. _


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: me no own Harry Potter. But Skye and Leah and Lynn are my babies. Hiss. Those three are miiinnnneeee! :D **

Skye stared into the fire, feeling a strange pleasure at the thought of her note. She should be nervous, but really wasn't. _How could you lie to your father like that? _she thought fiercely. _Horrible, no good blood-traitor...your father, who works so hard every day to put food on the table and clothes on your back..._but Skye could not think of a kind and generous father, working for his children. She saw a cold hearted man with a wand, hungry to look good in the eyes of his friends and his Master, willing to do anything to groom his daughters to become perfect Death Eaters..._Shut up, _came the little voice in her head. Skye imagined it to be very nasal and bossy. _Your father loves you. _This sounded so funny, even in her own head, that she let out a little snort of laughter. The flock of Slytherin girls perched nearby gave her anxious glances.

_She's finally lost it, _they must be thinking. _She's finally gone off the deep end. _

So why did Skye feel so good?

_Your father is going to murder you when he finds out, _continued the voice. _He's going to murder you...you and your sister..._

"Shut up," she breathed. The girls shot her looks again, but Skye had already gotten to her feet and was making her way out of the common room.

She was sure that Leah would be happy. _You didn't betray me after all, _she would say. _Thank you. _That sounded a bit un-Leah, but she would be grateful. Skye felt smug.

"I'm not Daddy's girl,' she muttered to herself as she climbed down the stairs and down the hallway. "I'm not a coward." Maybe she could catch Leah near the entrance to the Ravenclaw rooms-Leah usually hung out there, with a few Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff friends. No Slytherins, of course. Skye could hear voices as she approached.

But when Skye got there, there was no one. The voices were coming from the girls bathroom. She peeked in.

Leah was alone.

She was slumped in the corner, back shaking. For a moment, Skye thought she was laughing, but tears streamed down her cheeks. Her eyes were swollen, her hair messy, looking so rumpled that Skye thought it could not be Leah, not Leah, her perfect, smiling sister.

She was trying to muffle her sobs, but they were loud, hacking out of her like coughing. The snot and tears and hair all over her face made her look horrifyingly pitiful. She hiccuped. Cried more.

There were no words. Leah was alone. She was scared, just as much as Skye was, probably more.

Skye shrank back and away from the door.

It quieted, reduced to sniffling. Leah got slowly to her feet and then went to the sink, washing her face, taking a small comb from her bag, running it through her hair. She smoothened her clothes, dabbed on some lipstick and a bit of blush, then looked at herself in the mirror, making sure she was perfect again. Maybe a bit of eye shadow, to hide the redness? Leah was just brushing it on when she thought she heard a noise at the door and turned.

There was no one there. She went back to her eye shadow.

Skye ran down the corridor, feeling strangely numb, all the pleasure gone out of her. She felt as though she had seen something she shouldn't have, something private and secret and precious. Why hadn't she gone and helped, told her it was all right, that she loved her?

Maybe she was a coward, after all.

They had a boggart during Defense Against the Dark Lupin took them into an empty classroom (where Peeves had made fun of him; Skye took note of the charm he used). Skye had not been listening; she was scribbling on the edge of her Potions essay, trying to get the eyes right-the coldly beautiful eyes that sparkled warmly at everyone but her. A curl of silky black hair over the right eye. Skye was not a good artist. The 'midnight locks' looked like spaghetti.

When the topic of 'boggart' came up, she discarded her doodle, feeling queasy, and stared warily at the rattling wardrobe. What kind of fearsome thing would the boggart become, for her? She heard the others murmur.

What was she most afraid of? Darkness, maybe? She hated to be in complete darkness...she always slept with a candle or with her wand lit like a five-year old. Yes, maybe the boggart would darken the entire room...

"Wands out, stand up!" Professor Lupin commanded. Skye obeyed, thinking of what her father would think of her shabby professor. _Disgusting filth, _he would spit out. _The scum we have for professors nowadays...you would do better in Durmstrang. _

Come to think of it, what would a boggart turn into for her father? It was impossible to imagine her father being afraid.

"Miss Parkinson!" said Professor Lupin, and Pansy stepped up, wand in hand. She was trembling, though her broad mouth was carefully arranged into a confident smirk.

"_Alohomora!_" The closet doors burst open and out came...a skeletal monster, with hollow eyes and toothless gums. Pansy shrieked.

"_Ri-riddikulus," _she stammered through chattering teeth. The skeleton clattered to the ground and became a pile of white branches.

"Next, Mr. Crabbe!" The pudgy boy stood up and the branches immediately arranged themselves into a vampire.

The poor boggart went through a lot of transformations before Lupin finally shouted, "Miss Lennington!" Heart pounding with excitement, Skye walked up and held her wand out. The huge troll immediately turned into-

-a tall, slender man in an elegant suit.

It was her father.

Skye stared. She almost dropped her wand. How could her worst fear be her father? That didn't make sense. She wasn't really afraid of him, was she? As long as she was good, her father would never hurt her...

Her classmates tittered behind her, most knowing the man as an important wizard in the Ministry, some knowing him as her father. Why would she be afraid of her own father? Lupin waited. She raised her wand, but at the same time, he raised his own.

"_Cru-" _

"_Riddikulus!_" she burst out, and he tripped over his own robe, dropping the wand as he stumbled. "Good job!" Lupin said encouragingly as she walked back, but Skye did not hear. She didn't pay attention to the next person going up. She just sat at her desk again, unsure if she should laugh or cry.

**I thought Leah was getting too villainous, so I made her cry. :') She has feelings too. There's more to the boggart, it'll appear later, much later...hope you enjoyed. Please, please review! And favorite, and follow. That would make my day. :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter!**

The little respect that the other Slytherins had for her soon disappeared. Only Daphne continued to act polite, most likely because her father had ordered her to 'be friends with the Lennington girl'. Skye could hardly blame her; after all, her own father had sent a letter demanding that she 'be friends with the Greengrass girl'. Skye's only real friend was Lynn.

Lynn was a short, skinny girl with big brown eyes and short, light brown hair that framed her face. She could be cute, but was afraid of almost everything. The funny thing was that her House was Gryffindor, home of the brave.

Skye wished she had been there to see what Lynn's boggart turned into. It must be hard for a boggart to turn into spiders, loud noises, sharp objects, darkness, boys, large animals, cobwebs, and everything all at once. What amazed Skye, however, was that while Lynn was scared of the smallest things, she was unfazed at anything big that would have anyone wetting their pants. Skye vividly remembered when Hermione Granger had been found petrified in the library, last year. Lynn found her first, and while the other girls went into hysterics and Skye stood rigidly, she had calmly knelt, checked for a pulse, and then called for a professor.

That must be why she was a Gryffindor.

Skye wished she could be that brave. Then she'd be a Gryffindor too...

She quickly shook the silly thought from her head. What an idiot she was.

"I've heard Hogsmeade is really fun," Lynn had told her over dinner. "There's Honeydukes, and Zonko's, and the Three Broomsticks, and so, so many bookshops, and-"

"The Shrieking Shack?" Skye suggested glumly. Lynn shuddered.

"I don't think I want to go there."

Gabriel Lennington had refused to sign his twin daughters forms, saying that school was a place of discipline and that all students should be kept safely and securely inside. That made Hogwarts sound like a prison jail. Leah had been practicing forgery since she was five, and easily matched her father's sharp lines and sweeping letters, but Skye had never been disobedient. She had never wanted so badly to disobey her father.

_Ask Leah, _her mind urged, but after seeing Leah cry...after fighting with her, she

Sitting in the common room over her homework, Skye found herself doodling idly on a corner of her paper as she thought about Hogsmeade. It took her a very long time to realize that her doodles were actually beginning to look more like Gabriel's signature. She crumpled the parchment and threw it away. She would never get into Hogsmeade with scribbles like those.

Running a hand through her tangles, Skye thought of what Leah must be doing. Laughing in the common room with her friends, she decided bitterly. Associating with mudbloods, her father would say. But the words aroused no disgust, no anger in her.

She felt hollow.

"Are you just going to sit there and think?" came an angry voice. She looked up, startled-it was Malfoy.

"Sorry," she said, drawing out the word to let him know how insincere it was. If he noticed, he made no sign of it.

"There's only one desk in the room, you know, and other people have to do their homework." Skye seriously doubted that the brainless idiot would ever do homework, but she didn't reply as she collected her stuff. "What were you doing? Thinking over life's dark, deep questions?" The sarcasm dripping from his voice irritated her. Sarcasm was alright as long as she was not on the receiving end.

"Git," Skye muttered. "At least I have a brain to think with." Malfoy's eyes narrowed, but before he could reply she had finished dumping her stuff into her bag. "Enjoy yourself," she said scathingly as Pansy pranced over to sit down next to Draco.

Skye had planned to make a sweeping exit, but he grabbed her shoulder at the last second.

"You think you're so special, don't you?" he snarled. "Think you're the best, don't you, Lennington?" she couldn't reply. Was that what she thought? "Think again, Lennington. You'll find more dark questions to think about, the way your father's reputation is going. Mark my words." she ducked from his grip and speed-walked up the stairs to the girl's dormitories.

Pansy had finally caught up to the fact that her precious Draco was angry, and that therefore she should be angry too.

"Who was the man, Lennington?" she shrieked after Skye. "I saw you. You looked so scared, I thought you were going to wet your pants." she giggled shrilly at her own words.

Skye stopped at the top of the stairs. Her dark hair shrouded her face. One hand ever so slightly reached to her pocket, touching her wand. Then she quickly went on her way.

The door closed behind Skye and she fell onto her bed, the words echoing in her head.

More dark questions to think about...Mark my words. She clenched her fists; the message had been obvious.

Did Skye want her father turned in? That would leave her family poor and disgraced, and Skye would be an outcast. Not that she wasn't already.

She closed her eyes and tried to forget, but the Dark Mark twisted and curled in her vision as though branded on the insides of her eyelids.

**Missed me? :) Sorry this is short. Haven't written for a while, busy summer. Please give me ideas. I have the ending planned out beautifully, but there's so much middle to fill in! Review please. :)**


End file.
